By Moonlight
by RogueRobin
Summary: When Nightmare Moon arrives the embodiments of the Elements of Harmony are one-hundred years late. What does this world of night have to offer the mane six when they've never known the sun?
1. Magic Hour

Over one thousand years ago, in the land of Equestria, she and her sister ruled together, and created harmony. She, the eldest used her powers to raise the sun at dawn while her younger sister brought out the moon to begin the night. They had maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects. But as time went on, her younger sister had become resentful. The ponies shunned and slept through her beautiful night. She'd seen the signs of what could happen, but what was she to do? One fateful day, her sister had refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. She'd tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in Luna's heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness. Celestia had watched her become Nightmare Moon.

Her sister vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night. Reluctantly, she'd harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister, and banished her permanently in the moon. "Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in Nightmare Moon's escape, and she will bring about night time eternal," she said to herself.

Celestia knew the story by heart. She'd lived it after all. She closed her eyes as fear began to overtake her. She'd fought back her sister once before, but that was with the Elements of Harmony. With the Elements lost what was she to do? She'd taken care to keep up appearances. Very few ponies even remembered the legend of Nightmare Moon. Explaining what would happen in mere hours would create chaos. She would have to wait. With luck, her apprentice would be able to find the elements and harness their power. If not...

The alicorn shuddered and opened her eyes. She mustn't think about that. She walked with measured steps to the balcony of her quarters. The city of Canterlot was bustling as the sun set. A young couple exited a cafe while other ponies made their way to a gallery viewing that was scheduled to begin. She'd received an invitation to attend of course, but the coming Summer Sun Celebration was a more than ample excuse to be absent.

She yearned to be able to go out and search for the elements herself. To be able to do something to prevent the panic her sister's return would cause in her subjects. "If I left those of the castle would be anxious for my safety," she thought, "But if anypony accompanied me they would learn of my intentions." She couldn't risk it. She'd have to remain where she was. She continued her pony-watching.

A brightly coloured young filly was running excitedly through and around her parents as they made their way down the street. Celestia couldn't help but smile at the young one's excitement. "And where are they off to?" she wondered looking up the street. Perhaps a sweets shop? No, no, that wasn't on this street. Ah, they were probably going to see the story-teller who always set up shop in the small plaza outside the gallery for seasonal events. They would likely be telling of the origin and purpose of the Summer Sun Celebration. The filly's parents had stopped to listen as their daughter began to talk to them about something. The princess could only guess at what. They were attentive parents, and their daughter was so young and lively.

Celestia turned from the window. Looking at what she could lose wouldn't help her now. Her head and wings were hung lower than what would be acceptable to the castle's other residents. "You have my hopes my dear apprentice," she murmured. She pulled herself up onto her bed and laid her head down to watch the moon rise until her escort came to take her to Ponyville. For the first time in her many years she could not be sure if the sun would rise that morning.


	2. A New Moon

She could hardly believe it. She knew her sister would send somepony to try to stop her. In fact, some small part of her had even had the twisted hope that her sister would win and they would meet face to face. That wasn't to be. She fixed her eyes on the young apprentice before her, the one her sister had so trusted, and snorted. She was barely old enough to be called a mare. This child had thought that she could stand against her by herself? Pathetic.

"You would turn on your new princess?" she asked moving nearer to the mare.

The clearly terrified young mare made no signs of giving a response. She was not prepared for this battle.

She'd best get this over with. Nightmare Moon flashed the filly a sharp-toothed smile before encasing her in shadow. She willed the shadows to take the annoyance deep into the Everfree Forest. She'd lock the mare up later. For now, she had a people to address.

A People, unprepared.

A Leader, fearful.

An Apprentice, unworthy

Her Mentor, failed.

A Sister, vindicated.

An age, begun.

Nearly one hundred years had passed since she'd taken back her throne. Nightmare Moon, known now as Night Mare Moon, was restless. Her student was late. She paced the throne-room. It had been decorated in deep blue and silver upon her return. Of course, there were certain rebellions that had had to be quashed and troublesome ponies that insisted on talking about her banished sister, but much of that was behind her now. The younger flock knew the loveliness of her night. They frolicked at their resplendent parties for the harvest moon and the still rarer blue moon. She smiled. It was truly a sparkling era.

The doors swung open to reveal a rather panicked looking lavender pony as she made a mad dash into the throne-room. "-orry that I'm late. I know there's no excuse, but I couldn't find the book I was searching for and then Spike was slow eating breakfast and I'm just so s-"

"Twilight Sparkle, you must stop that this instant," Night Mare said calmly. If there was one thing she couldn't stand it was her student's tendency to panic over small mishaps. She wasn't more than four minutes late, yet here she was talking a mile a minute and running.

Twilight stopped instantly. "Oh please don't be angry. I didn't mean to be late. Oh please, oh please, oh please," she thought. She knew that the Princess had an important task for her, and here she was showing up late. It was bad enough that she was still struggling with the teleportation spell they were going over. She just couldn't figure out how to do it without getting sick to her stomach.

"Now Twilight, walk with me dear." The Princess of the Moon turned. As she walked she looked at the stained glass that decorated the windows of the room. Some of them had been re-done of course, but some where from long ago, before she and her sister had begun their fight. She could still feel the crunch of the glass under her hooves. She looked down at her student. "Twilight, it has become clear to me that the spell that has kept my sister bound is weakening. Do you know what will happen if she were to break free?"

"If Princess Celestia were to get free she would enslave all of Equestria and turn every day into a Sun Day," she answered with horror. She'd done her homework and knew from her reading that not all that long ago the Princess Celestia had taken over and forced the ponies to work in the sun each and every day. The days were long and bright and many of the lunar flowers and fruits had died. "What are you going to do?"

"My dear student, there is only one thing that can be done. I have a very important task for you, but first you must do something for me." She knew she would need to act quickly when the eclipse got nearer, but for now she had time to be certain that her theory was correct. "There has been a report from the surveillance team that somepony in Ponyville is spreading the lie that my sister should be restored to power. The old mare's parents were around during the Sun Days, and the poor dear simply must be reminded that the things that may have seemed harmless when she was only a young filly were dangerous to all of Equestria. I think that you are learned enough to be able to show her the error of her memory," Night Mare said dotingly.

"Of course Princess, I mean, if you think I can do it." Twilight lit up at the opportunity. This was a way she could prove herself to her mentor. This would be how she could show that she had studied the history of Equestria and could actually apply her knowledge. Oh it would be such a good test!

The dark princess nodded. "Of course you can handle this. I have faith in you. Now, go pack your things, you'll be leaving by high moon."

"Yes Princess." She bowed her head and rushed out of the castle. She had a mission, and she would not fail.


	3. Reception

"The Princess said we were going where?" Spike asked as he stepped into the chariot that would take them to their destination.

Twilight sighed in frustration. She'd already told the young dragon where they were going twice since they'd left the house. "Ponyville," she answered flatly hoping that this time he'd remember why.

"Oh right, to go talk to that poor old mare that has it backwards?"

"_Oh thank Night Mare." _Twilight nodded as she checked over their bag. "Alright, we're good to go," she told the stallions waiting to take off. They nodded and started at a gallop. Twilight was careful not to move during take-off, but once they were in the air she looked over the edge of the chariot. She watched Canterlot shrink away before setting her sights ahead. _"Okay Twilight, keep calm. The Princess wouldn't have sent you alone if she didn't think you could handle it. But what if I can't handle it? What if I mess this up and she thinks I'm not good enough to be her apprentice? I've got to get this right. I'm smart enough to just talk to this old mare. Once she hears how things are she'll get it right?" _Twilight flicked her tail nervously. She hadn't noticed the way her ears had drooped nor the worried expression she'd adopted. She was so absorbed imagining ways that this could go wrong that she jumped when a familiar claw tapped her leg.

"Twi, what's wrong?" Spike asked. He knew that she always got worked up when The Princess asked her to do something, but he just hated to see his friend so worked up. "_She really needs to relax sometimes," _he thought.

"Wh-" she shook her head, "No, everything's fine. I just really want to get this right. The Princess is trusting me to handle this," she answered hoping she sounded more convincing than she felt. Spike crossed his arms.

"Twilight, I know, but if you get so worked up you're going to go as grey as old Silver Shoes back home," he said lightly.

Twilight snorted and rolled her eyes. She could see the lights of Ponyville in the distance. "Well, at least Ponyville isn't big," she mumbled. As much as she hated to admit it Spike was right. Besides, it wasn't as if she was going to be doing this _ completely _ by herself. She'd have to meet up with one of the ponies from the local surveillance team. After all, they'd have their own reports to fill out for The Princess. For the first time on the journey she noticed how full the moon was becoming. It would be the first day of the Full Moon Fair tomorrow. Hopefully she'd be able get this done and over to get home before then. She really didn't want to go to the Fair with a town of strangers. Normally she would have taken time to look at the sky that The Princess had woven together that night, but she'd been in such a rush that she hadn't taken the time to look at it. From the looks of it Night Mare would be starting the nightly dimming that signaled that it was time to sleep not long after she reached Ponyville."_Well at least I can let surveillance know that I'm here__."_ As they began their descent she took out her notes. Right, the captain of the surveillance team for Ponyville was a mare named Rainbow Dash. She wondered how large the surveillance team of such a small town would be. She supposed that that would depend on how many Pegasi qualified for the position. After all, it was rare for a non-flier to be a member of the surveillance team. She carefully positioned herself so she wouldn't get tossed around in the landing. No matter how good their drivers were there were always a few bumps on the landing. Spike wasn't as prepared. The first bump had only just happened when the unicorn felt his arms around her leg. Once the chariot had stopped she stepped easily down and off. "Thanks guys," she called as she took her leave.

"We'll be back for you soon," the taller of the two answered. Before she'd taken more than twenty steps the two stallions had taken to the sky once more.

"Okay, first we need to find out where their surveillance team is based. Once we meet up with Rainbow Dash we can get the rest of the story and figu- ow hey!" Twilight brought a hoof to her nose as her notes tumbled to the ground. She knew she'd had her notes up, but most ponies usually gave her some space.

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you o- Oooh, where are you from?" The other pony asked cheerfully.

"Don't worry about it. I'm here from Canterlot," Twilight said. She took measure of the bright pink pony. She seemed nice enough if not a bit too bubbly. She'd probably be easy to spot in the future with her curly mane. "

Ooooh, oh oh wait! Don't tell me! This is your first time here! I'd-know-because-I-know-everypony-and-I've-definit ely-never-seen-you-here-before-an-"

"I'm looking for your surveillance team's base of operations," she said cutting off the increasingly loud and fast speaking earth pony. She felt bad, but who knew when she'd be able to get back to the main point otherwise.

"Oh, you're here to see Rainbow and the others?" she asked tilting her head.

"Yes."

"Okie dokie lokie, I'll take you there," she chirped.

"Oh, you don't have to go out of your way. Just pointing me in the direction is fine," she said. She realized that she really had been spending a lot of time studying recently. Her pony skills had gotten a bit rusty.

"Oh, it's not out of my way at all. It's right this way," the pink pony said practically bouncing in the direction they were headed.

Twilight resigned herself to company and followed. Only a few seconds had passed before the other pony started talking.

"Sooo, what's your name? I mean, I'm Pinkie Pie and it's super awesome to meet you. I love meeting new friends, but it's really hard to call somepony your friend when you don't even know their name yet."

"I'm Twilight Sparkle." She wasn't sure why this pony thought they were going to be friends. She had her studies to attend to. Once she was done with her work here it wasn't like she was going to be coming back.

"Nice to meet you Twilight," Pinkie said as she bounced along. "Are you some sort of manager or a messenger? Oh wait, you're a traveling dragon keeper!"

"No no, I'm a student. I'm just here to check on something for Princess Night Mare, and his name is Spike," Twilight answered.

"Nice ta meet you," Spike said casually.

"Hiya!" Pinkie Pie stopped in front of a building done in blacks and blues. The window trims were white. The colours were obviously taken from their Princess's coat colours. "Well, here we are! Now I need to go get ready," Pinkie said before zipping off.

She'd been _right_ there, but when Twilight turned around the pink pony was no where to be seen. She shook her head. "Well, here we go," she said taking the few steps up to the door. She knocked twice with her hoof. In Canterlot the door would have opened immediately, but Twilight found herself waiting. Somepony must have had to come around to the door. Just when she raised her hoof to knock a second time the door opened to reveal a dark grey stallion. He had a light blue standing mane. He quickly stepped aside for Twilight to enter the building. Twilight didn't take time to admire the room. Instead she turned immediately to the stallion. "Hello, I'm looking for Rainbow Dash?"

He nodded once. "She's out on surveillance. Can I take a message?" His tone was casual.

"Will you tell her that Twilight Sparkle is here to follow up on a report that was filled? Princess Night Mare sent me." She gave a small smile. She didn't want him to think she was going to be as grumpy as some of the other ponies that did the follow-ups from time to time.

The stallion immediately straightened. He stood at attention. "Of course Miss Twilight. I will go fetch her immediately. Please make yourself at home," he replied. He quickly exited the building and took to the sky.

"Oh boy, he's scared of you," Spike said hopping down from Twilight's back and looking around the room.

"Why? Did I say something wrong?" Twilight said abashed.

"No, but they all report to The Princess right? And now you're here. It's like you're their boss," he said with a laugh.

"But I'm not. I'm just here instead of somepony else," she argued.

"Hey, I know that, but you've gotta face it Twi, you're gonna have a bit of say around here."

Twilight didn't reply. Of course being Princess Night Mare's student was an honour, but she didn't expect other ponies to think of her differently for it. She sat in one of the chairs. The lobby was clean and boasted a couple of news articles showcasing different events it had hosted since its opening. A name plaque on the front desk read Thunder Lane. That was probably the stallion's name. She stood up again and crossed the room to look at one of the news articles when the door burst open. A young, blue coated mare with a multi-coloured mane strode in. A few moments later the stallion followed. He looked more winded than the smaller mare.

"Hi there, Thunder told me you were here and I came right away. Name's Rainbow Dash. I wasn't expecting you to check in until early moon. How can I help you?" She didn't want The Princess's emissary to be disappointed...again. Last time Ditzy had been working the desk. What a mess that had been.

"It's nice to meet you. I was just stopping by to let you know that I've arrived. I also wanted to ask you if you could take a moment to give me a better understanding of the mare we'll be going to see tomorrow." It was obvious that the mare was trying to act calm. Was she really that frightening to ponies outside of Canterlot?

"Oh you know. Pretty normal. She's up over at Sweet Apple Acres. She thinks that things were good when there were Sun Days every day. You know if she was just some old pony jabbering that Princess Night Mare would let us handle it ourselves, but she's got a big family that she's been spouting all of this off to. We've gone to talk to her a few times, but she keeps telling her family, especially the youngest one, that we're all wrong. You know how it goes." She tossed her mane. "The only bad thing is that she's a big of a cranky old thing when she gets worked up. You know how farmers are."

Twilight nodded. She'd been to several follow-ups, and for some reason the more rural ponies were always the hardest to talk to. She wasn't sure if they were just stubborn or if it had something to do with the large families they tended to have. "So how do you think my being here will help the situation?"

"Well, since you're from Canterlot it makes sense that you have more authority. Maybe the family'll listen to you. Hard to say. The mare that runs the farm is just about as stubborn as her grandmare. Either way, this way if it keeps up we can go ahead and proceed with the steps that might need to be taken," she said off-hoofedly.

"Hopefully." Twilight wasn't feeling all that confident, but Rainbow had done this more times than her, so she was probably right. "Well, thank you for your time, I'm going to turn in for the dark. I'll be back during early moon," she said showing herself to the door.


End file.
